Finding good food in Italy

Finding great food in Italy is easy. Like anywhere it pays to know a few rules when eating in Italy. Italy is an easy place to find great local food. It is always fresh and usually organic. Italians love their country, their food and their wine. It shows when you eat in one of their restaurants. We have a few rules about food in Italy:

Do not eat at tourist places – they are usually close to the monuments tourists go to see. The food is not real Italian. You can find hamburgers, poorly prepared pasta and cheesy pizza.

Ristorante are top of the line restaurants – They serve excellent food but are expensive. Some even serve Pizza. They usually are called Ristorante/Pizzeria.

Trottoria’s are local food for a moderate price – This is where we like to eat. They are everywhere and have fresh local food prepared correctly.

Enotecca’s – these are wine bars that allow you to buy and sample different wines. You can usually eat small dishes as well.

Pizzeria – A restaurant that serves pizza. Usually a sit down restaurant that serves great individual pizzas. They are not pre sliced but come out whole. You eat them with a fork and knife.

Choose wisely and enjoy the food. You don’t need to speak Italian. Just read the menu. Most items are listed the same as in nice Italian restaurants in the states. Point to what you want. Ordering the house wine is usually a treat in Italy. It is very good and inexpensive.

Breakfast is easy! Go to a local bar … that’s right a bar. They serve coffee (espresso or American or Cappuccino) and pastries. The pastries are magnificent. Crispy and light. Cornetto is a croissant like pastry that can be plain, chocolate filled or jelly filled. Normally you pick what you want and eat and then go to cash register and say what you had and pay. Some bars require you to pay in advance and take the ticket to the bar and order your food. Enjoy